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Friday, July 27, 2012

I've been a "musician" since I was a kid. School band, jazz band, marching band, orchestra. In school my instrument was a tuba, and while there's not a lot of work for tuba players, there's also not many tuba players. So I played a little from time-to-time, somone would buy me beer and throw me ten bucks, and I was happy as a clam. Tuba is not an instrument you can throw in a closet and play late at night when the mood strikes, and I couldn't have begun to fit one in some of our small apartments. I played a little bass guitar, but only "a little". There were other things that drew all my attention back then, and I wasn't willing to put the time into playing bass. Fast forward 20 years, I was no longer chasing girls, drinking to excess, or trying to keep the economy of Colombia afloat. I was ready to play. So I started again, and had a lot of fun playing along to recorded blues music, and learning all those cool bass licks like "Money", "Down On The Corner", "Higher Ground", "Billie Jean", "I Wish", and so forth.

A while back I put together a group of guys to jam, and we're having a great time. Playing blues and funk, playing what we want to play. I'm an opinionated cuss, and I didn't want to play most pop, oldies, or classic rock. It's not that I don't like that music, but I've heard it all a million times and would rather experience something new, or at least new to me.

I fell in with a couple experienced musicians that are looking to put together a working band. I don't have the chops to hang with them, but I have a PA system so that adds a lot to my value. They are playing mostly classic rock, and for the most elementary of reasons - it's saleable. The masses don't want to hear blues, or alt-country with great guitar work, or alternative rock. They want to hear music they know, kind of like pulling a warm security blanket around you. It's frustrating that people won't open their minds to experience something new, and are stuck on seventies or eighties classic rock. When we complain of a musician "selling out", they may only be trying to earn a living.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Most of us Products Of The Seventies are a little too old for Sesame Street. But the impact on every generation to follow is immeasurable. Here is a Sesame Street timeline from 1969 to 2004. Pretty cool - they deal with Jim Henson's death, 9/11, and more.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Do you remember - Boyslife Magazine?
I wasn't a Boy Scout, but I loved Boys Life magazine. I stumbled across this Boyslife Wayback Machine. I dialed it forward to 1970 and it brought back some serious memories.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

As a product of the seventies, I've had a chance to do a lot of stupid, dangerous things. When I say a lot, I mean a LOT. I've come to recognize that the 3 most dangerous words in the English language are as follows:

Hold my beer.

For Independence Day tomorrow, we'll remember the words of the immortal Sergeant Esterhaus: